Game Masters, Put Together A Starting Guide For Your Players (It Really Helps)

One of the most important parts of any RPG campaign is the world and setting it takes place in. Because while the player characters might be the leads of the play who are strutting upon the stage, the setting is the backdrop, the lighting, the music, and all other aspects of the production. The setting is what provides context for the player characters, and it plays an important role in shaping who they are, and what they're trying to do.

The problem arises when your players aren't as familiar with the setting as you are. Which is why, rather than watching your players stumble over unfamiliar blocking and set dressing, it's a good idea for you to give them some kind of starting guide to make sure they have some idea of what it is they're supposed to expect.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in this case.

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What Does A Good Guide Need?

For folks who are looking to copy a good guide, I'd recommend checking out some of the Cities of Sundara supplements I've put out, like Moüd, City of Bones or Hoardreach, City of Wyrms. The format of these guides is that you get a snapshot of the location in question, a brief explanation of its history, important notes on the culture one is likely to find, as well as breakdowns by district with examples of some locations, NPCs, and even a few rumors one might hear swirling around. As well as an easy-to-use map to put everything in perspective!

For those who are wondering on my process for making locations like this, I'd check out the article 5 Tips For Creating Fantasy Towns and Cities.

For an alternative example, you could grab any of the free player guides that come with Pathfinder adventure paths, like War For The Crown or Hell's Rebels. The list of them should be available on Paizo.com to download.

These guides go a little more in-depth. They provide an overview of your starting area, along with snapshots of the culture characters will likely be familiar with. These guides describe recent events, as well as necessary histories, and they even get into mechanical details by suggesting different character classes that will be more or less effective in the coming campaign, while providing justifications without giving any of the players spoilers for what's coming.

Which are things you can do when the campaign has been written out, and you have the entire narrative throughline figured out.

Come deeper... we shall begin soon...

I've been ruminating on this topic because I'm putting together a chronicle for Hunter: The Vigil for my own players, but the game is going to be set in Chicago during Prohibition. And while explaining fantasy settings, cities, etc. to people can seem difficult, sometimes it's just as important to remember that the past is an undiscovered country for a lot of folks. I've been delving into the era a lot with some work on my period Call of Cthulhu supplements like 100 Gangsters, Gun Molls, and Goons, as well as 100 Businesses To Find in Arkham, so I've been reading a lot about the social developments, technological advances, and timeline of what was going on in America during the 1920s and 1930s.

So rather than just expecting my players to delve deep into the time period the way I've been doing for the past half dozen months, I want to distill what I've been reading down into a snapshot of the era. An explanation of world events, the major social trends that are currently happening, perhaps a period map of the city, as well as a few pointers on what different regions of the Windy City are like during this time period.

I'm fortunate that my players seem to want to play before officially starting their Vigil as hunters, so I don't have to explain the current setup of all the warring supernatural communities... which makes this job slightly easier.

Still, this is a part of Session 0 that I feel a lot of Game Masters overlook, both those who run in homebrew settings and official ones. And while it might not be necessary if your players are familiar with the setting you're playing in, or they're the sort of self-starters who will just dig into the lore to find out what they need to know before the game day arrives (assuming there is a lore tome for your setting, of course), it's probably a good idea to ask your players if they'd like a handy packet to lead them into things a little more gently.

It can save you all a lot of frustration down the line. Trust me.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Player Versus Player is Something You Need Permission For

Intraparty conflict happens. Maybe it's when the barbarian has had enough of the bard's not-so-veiled insults, and demands the singer either put up, or shut up. Maybe it's when the cleric wants to give aid to the refugees the party has stumbled across near a destroyed village, but the rogue would rather they not deplete their own stores of healing items, food, and water helping people they don't know. It might even be a difference of opinion between the paladin and the wizard regarding which plan for assaulting the villain's fortress is the one they should follow.

It's tempting to just let the PCs roll initiative and have it out. However, if player versus player wasn't discussed as part of your Session 0, then you need to put the kibosh on that strategy.

1 V 1 me, bro!

The issue with PVP is that, much like a boxing match, if both sides haven't agreed beforehand, then someone is breaking the rules.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

On the one hand, PVP does add a dash of (and I hate to use this word) realism to the game. It removes the illusion that player characters are somehow immune to certain threats, and that they can say or do whatever they want to the rest of the party without violence or death as a possible repercussion. The knowledge that the table doesn't allow PVP, for example, might be the reason the bard feels secure making jab after jab at the barbarian, because no matter how mad the tank gets, he can't just beat the musician to death with his own mandolin.

If you take away that security, then you suddenly have to deal with the real potential that your actions may come back to bite you. And that might stop you from, say, thieving from the communal treasure pot, or deciding to keep making suggestive comments to the sorcerer as his hand starts glowing with eldritch fire.

Don't worry, we're not ignoring the other side of this coin.

With that said, PVP isn't the RPG equivalent of, "an armed society is a polite society." Because there are also players who will use the, "my PC can kill your PC," threat as a way to bully other folks at the table. Because sure, the rest of the party might declare that they are officially no longer adventuring with Godran Red Hand because he's a violent loose cannon, but such a declaration doesn't guarantee you won't have the player try to fight the rest of the party to try going out in a blaze of glory.

Beyond these very practical arguments for and against PVP, though, there are other concerns. As a for instance, most RPGs are supposed to be cooperative affairs. The party comes together to raid the dungeon, stop the overthrow of the king, or to push back the demon horde. Not allowing PVP means that the characters have to work together to find diplomatic solutions to their own conflicts (or, at least, to agree to disagree on certain matters). If the party can just use violence, or magic, in a "might makes right" scenario, then that erodes the idea of cooperative play.

Then there's the fallout. It's depressing enough to lose a character because of a lucky crit from the DM, but that's something we expect to happen. You step to the plot, and sometimes the plot buries you. But when another player is the cause of your PC's death, that's another kettle of fish. Even if their actions make total sense in the context of both their story, and the plot, it's hard not to feel like you were stabbed in the back. It's even harder to keep those meta concerns out of your future play, even if you both have characters totally unconnected to that one time Dave killed your bard when he was sleeping. Even if players think they're mature, and they agree that it's, "just a game," there can be hard feelings when PVP is allowed to happen.

If You're Going To Do It, Get Consent

PVP should never be a surprise to anyone at the table. In fact, you should add it to your question list before every campaign you start. Ask your table if they want PVP, and why. If possible, make sure they vote unanimously on it (especially if it's a yes). This grants everyone protection from blow back in the event that one PC does willingly kill another, because it was something everyone consented to before the game got started.

And, just like any other situation where everyone gave consent, you should repeatedly check your table's comfort level as you go along to be sure they don't want to revoke that consent. Because PVP might sound cool in theory, but once your players get a taste of it they might find it's actually bitter and harsh, rather than sweet and exciting.

In the end, PVP is kind of like Sriracha. Some people love it, even when it does serious damage to them and their friendships. Other people might like it on occasion for a bit of spice, and some people will politely decline it entirely. Make sure you know what your table's position is before you give the go-ahead for an all-party death match.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday post. Hopefully it clears up some things for folks who have had trouble with PVP, and haven't quite known how to put it into words. If you want more content from yours truly, then check out my archive over at Gamers, and follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you want to help me keep Improved Initiative going, why not consider becoming a Literary Mercenary Patreon patron? As little as $1 a month helps keep the lights on, and 

Make A Character Creation Document For Your Game (Seriously, It Helps)

In the days of yore, or so the legend goes, no campaign would start until all the players had gathered round the table. The dungeon master would sit at the head of the table, and watch as each player rolled their character's stats then and there. For the longest time this was just part of how gaming was done, but as our editions grew more sophisticated, we began to do more and more character creation on our own. Once we were able to assign our stats to the attributes we wanted, instead of just putting them in order and taking whatever we were given, it was possible to know exactly what character we wanted to bring to the table long before we ever touched our dice.

And when we got rid of THaCO? Woo, all bets were off!

This freedom presented a world of opportunity for players, but it also complicated things for the dungeon master. Because the more freedom players have to make the characters they want, the tougher it can be to corral them into the chute to get the campaign going. And once class, race, etc. were no longer randomly made-up on the spot, it made no sense to keep that approach when it came to making the character's history and story. So players started making characters with more depth, more history, and to whom they were generally more attached to from the get-go than a PC they'd been assigned through totally random rolling.

There is a great DM tool that I discovered some time ago that I'd like to pass onto you that both helps players create deeper characters, and helps you weave them more organically into the game. I've been on both ends of it, and it can be a lifesaver.

The Character Creation Document

I first came across the idea of the character creation document when I joined an organized LARP in Chicago. The short version is that it was a questionnaire that asked you all about your character. It asked what you did for a living, where you lived, who you were related to, what supernatural powers you had, and how you kept them secret (or didn't). It asked about your allies and your enemies, and about your character's goals, fears, hopes, and experiences.

It was, in short, a quick way for the storytellers to get a snapshot of who this character was, and how they would react to certain situations.

Ah... my PC's crippling fear of water...

Now, a character creation document is not a stone tablet that is meant to totally lock in your character's attributes. They can still grow and change as you play them. However, the document allows your DM to ask you questions they deem important to the campaign, and to your character.

For example, if your DM is running a game where there are important NPCs to act as mentors, friends, and family members, then they might ask you what qualities your PC admires in others, and what qualities others tend to admire in them? If your DM wants to run a more psychological game, then he might ask about your character's fears, what motivates them, and what enrages them? What do they care about? What would they sacrifice themselves, or others, for?

These sorts of questions don't typically have spots on a character sheet, but they can be invaluable both to DMs, and to players. Because the answers can help a DM shape the game around the characters, and the questions can help players fill out and develop PCs in ways they may not have been asked to in the past. After all, a player may not think all that much about what hobbies their PC has when not slaying dragons, or ask whether they've been married in the past (or want to be in the future). A character creation document gets all of that information, and puts it squarely into the DM's hands.

If you need a place to get started, you might want to check out 10 Questions To Put On Your Character Creation Document.

And, if your DM is generous, you might even get a special reward for completion. More starting gold, more XP (even though I personally recommend against using XP whenever possible), or even social benefits derived from your answers to your questions. I personally recommend putting a carrot out there, though, because when you dangle a reward players will give you much more complete information than they otherwise might.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday post. Hopefully it stirs some thoughts for all the DMs out there looking for a way to get a better glimpse into the PC's heads. If you're interested in more gaming content by yours truly, check out my archive over at Gamers. It's small now, but should be growing soon. If you want to stay up-to-date on all my releases, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And if you want to help support Improved Initiative, then head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today. All it takes is $1 to make a difference, and to get yourself some sweet swag.

If Your Character is Evil, Own It!

"So your character is a thief, a liar, a murderer-for-hire, a slaver, a trafficker in demonic powers, and he just threw a baby off the cliff because it was annoying him. Goddammit, Chet, I told you not to bring an evil PC to my game!"

"Dude, he's not evil! He's chaotic neutral... I'm just playing his alignment."

You keep using this term. I do not think it means what you think it means.

 

How many times have you had to listen to (or have) this conversation at your table? Well, if you're like me, the answer is probably along the lines of, "more times than I can recall." As such, I thought I'd take a moment today to put out a public service message for all the players, and DMs, out there.

Do not waffle about your character's wickedness. Do not hedge about their heinousness. And lastly, do not equivocate about your evil. If you're bad, then be bad.

 

Also, check out 5 Tips For Playing Better Evil Characters to make sure that your fun isn't going to ruin someone else's.

If You Want To Play An Evil PC, Then Own It

Let's not beat around the bush here; if you have an alignment system in place, then there are a lot of areas that are cut-and-dry about what constitutes an evil act. Murder for hire is evil, and that's why the assassin prestige class requires an evil alignment. Slavery, as an institution, is evil. While it might be legal in certain parts of the world, that doesn't change the nature of owning sentient creatures. Using spells with the evil descriptor inherently corrupt one's spirit, forcing them into an evil alignment if the magic is used too frequently. Dealing with evil creatures like devils and demons for personal gain, while it might seem harmless at first, is an act of small evil that can quickly get out of hand. And if there is ever a question about whether something is or isn't evil in the cosmic sense, your DM can (and should) rule on it. Especially if it's integral to your character's alignment, and beliefs.

No, of course there's no risk. Just sign here, here, and initial here...

 

We can split hairs all we want about certain issues. For instance, is summoning evil creatures like demons to fight other evil creatures still an act of evil? Is assassinating someone because it will prevent greater suffering still evil? What if you just use soul rend once a month, and then you say some prayers to the god of rainbows and kittens as a form of atonement?

Evil is like pornography; we know it when we see it. And you know something? It's fine if you want to play an evil PC! Nowhere in the core rules of the game does it say that you cannot have a character with an evil alignment. In fact, there are entire campaigns dedicated purely to playing evil characters. Know something else? Evil characters can perform ostensibly good acts! No one is evil just for the sake of being evil. Just like no one is good just for the sake of being good. You perform acts (good or evil) because they're what you believe is necessary, because that's how you've been socialized, or because they will get you closer to your goals. Additionally, just because your alignment box has an E in it, that doesn't mean the character thinks of themselves as evil. They might, on the contrary, protest they're a good person. They're just doing what they have to do to get by. Sometimes that means another person has to bleed, or die, for them to reach their goals.

Here's an example. A chaotic evil character tracks down a bunch of bandits, kills them, and rescues the hostages they took to claim the bounty from the local lord. Why does he do that? After all, that seems out of character for someone who's evil. Well, he likes killing people, he likes money, and this job is a way for him to legally do something he'd be hung for if he did it to anyone else. Sure he's more violent, more reckless, and less interested in the safety of the hostages than a heroic character might be, but he gets the job done. And when the job is over? Well, he'll go on his merry way in search of more work that's to his liking. Is he a bad guy? Undoubtedly. To some, though, he's a hero. Doesn't change the alignment marker in his box, however.

Make A Character For The Game You're Actually In

This is where we get to the part most players don't like. Because, as Simon Peter Munoz said over at the CRB, you need to make a character for the game you're actually playing. Because no matter how into your drow assassin, undead lord, or half-demon cult leader you are, if your DM made it clear there are no evil-aligned PCs allowed in his game, then those concepts should go up on the shelf for another day. Don't just throw a chaotic neutral skin over them, and try to sneak them into the campaign anyway. Your DM is going to get annoyed that you're trying to skirt the rules he set up in the beginning, and you're going to be disappointed every time someone stops you from doing things in your character's preferred manner (whether that's summoning an army of the living dead to do your bidding, torturing captives for information, etc., etc.).

Also, flip the script. Would you argue that you should be allowed to play a paladin in an evil campaign? And if your DM did give you the go-ahead, would you pitch a fit if (or more likely, when) you lost your powers from the sheer amount of evil acts you'd been complicit in? Even though you knew what you were getting into when you signed up?

Now, with all of that said, if you really want to make a case for your PC, don't water down their alignment and claim it's something it isn't. Pitch them to your DM during Session 0 (and if you don't have one of those, you really should; more on that in The Importance of Session 0 in Your Tabletop Games). If you can make a compelling argument about why your evil character should be allowed into the game, then it's possible your DM will allow you to give it a spin. It's also possible your DM might work with you to put together a compromise, allowing you to play some of the aspects you're interested in, but without other aspects that would be a headache for this particular campaign. If you're a bad guy in a setting where bad guys tend to get punished swiftly and harshly, though, don't act surprised when the hammer falls.

Those are my thoughts for this Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully more of us can just stop beating around the bush when it comes to playing evil characters, and that if that's what your players want, then more DMs will hear that, and respond appropriately. If you want to keep up-to-date on my latest posts, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then consider heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page. For as little as $1 a month you can help me keep my bills paid, and get a load of sweet gaming swag while you're at it!

Don't Ban a Character Concept Just Because One Player Screwed It Up

I remember when I first discovered the warforged while reading through the Eberron setting. At first I was intrigued, and that fuse burned until I got genuinely excited. I've always had a love of unusual races, and there was a lot of potential in a race that began as a war machine, and now was trying to find its way in the world. An idea that eventually manifested in my Unusual Character Concept post The Android Barbarian. Or, if you prefer old-school archetypes, the sort of character that would fit the mold of "The Automatic Detective" by A. Lee Martinez.

Warforged investigator, anyone?

However, when I went to my DM and asked for permission to play a warforged, he said no. Disappointed, I asked what the reason was. I figured that, seen from a DM's perspective, the race might have been too strong, or too tough for a low-level game. Alternatively, their need to be repaired instead of healed may have been a hassle my DM didn't want to deal with. The answer, though, surprised and disheartened me.

You see, my DM had been at a convention several years ago, and had been stuck at a table with an 11-year old gamer who was playing a warforged fighter. Said player decided to give his character the personality of someone who was one part tin woodsman, and one part R2D2, starting every sentence with the words, "beep, boop," and then typically making a request for oil. Something that, you can imagine, would fray the nerves during a 4-hour dungeon crawl.

That was the reason why I was told to choose a different character concept; because some gamer I had no attachment to, and whose concept was a world and a half removed from what I wanted to play, had soured my DM on a particular race, and all concepts attached to that race.

This Happens a Lot More Often Than You'd Think

We all have a story about something like this. One DM I knew completely banned gnomes as a player race because a player with a gnome had sold-out the party and wrecked the plot by being so antagonistic. Another DM didn't allow characters of noble birth because he'd had players who created too much intra-party conflict with their status. And we all know at least one DM who refuses to let someone play as a certain class, or archetype, because Jeff did it before, and it smashed any sense of challenge.

Seriously, I'm never inviting Jeff to my game again.

On the one hand, this is the kind of behavior we display in every aspect of our lives. If you went to a particular restaurant, and got food poisoning, you don't go back there. If you got overcharged at the gym, and the company didn't rectify the situation, you find someplace else to work out. And if you have someone over to your house, and they ruin your night, you stop inviting that person over.

With that said, we are also intelligent, thinking beings. We know, logically, that our dice will fall randomly. But we still believe in luck, despite understanding how probability works. In much the same way, you know that Sharon is a very different gamer than Jeff. You've had her at your table for years, you admire her style, and you like her commitment to building effective characters who don't overshadow the rest of the group.

So why wouldn't you trust her not to act like that problem gamer you associate this particular concept with?

Make Room For Fresh Memories

It is perfectly reasonable to be wary of things you have seen abused in game. However, before bringing down the banhammer, ask yourself if there is a real reason you are saying no to a player besides your personal dislike for a concept.

This goes against my preconceptions... BANNED!

Now, it's your table, and you are the one with the final say over what players can and can't bring to your game. However, if your players are asking you for something, then you should at least sit down and share your misgivings with them. Tell your players what you don't want to see, and ask them to show you how they'd do it differently. Give them some rope, and see whether or not they hang themselves.

If the concept becomes a problem at your game, then you and the player should both figure out what to do about it. However, there's always the potential that a concept won't be a problem. In fact, if you're lucky, you may get a great story to tell about what a player did with that class, race, background, or other concept you were considering banning for all time.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you enjoyed, and if you've used run these kinds of games before, leave us a comment to let us know what worked for you!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

GM Rule #1: Always Review Characters Before Starting A Campaign

I'd like to tell you a story I came across on a Reddit page a little over a year ago. Players were giving advice, and telling stories of the dumbest moments they've seen at a table. One fellow brought a dwarven warrior to the table. He was deeply religious, as many warriors are, and he fought for his faith. The game had been going for some time, when said dwarf opted to crush an enemy's head with his hammer, rather than accept what he suspected was a dubious attempt at surrender. The DM then went into a big song and dance about how he felt his connection to his god slipping, and how the powers Torag had granted him had deserted him.

There was just one problem... the character didn't have any paladin levels. He was just a fighter.

Who, me? Nah, mate, I just work here.

This story was amusing, in that, "lol, the DM got so caught up in trying to make the paladin fall that he didn't even check to see if he was a paladin," kind of way, but I kept seeing other stories like this. Players who just show up to the table with no prior discussion of what they're playing, and who start rolling dice without once talking to the DM. I've also heard stories of DMs who just tell their players to, "bring whatever," and start a session without so much as glancing over the characters who were participating. The storyteller, in these cases, is finding out about the PCs at the same rate the rest of the party is.

Now, if you want to do that, more power to you. However, you're setting yourself up for serious problems.

Know Thy Challengers

The idea of just starting a game without talking to your players about their concepts, and looking over their sheets, is ludicrous. At the very least, running a game means you should make sure everyone followed the character creation rules you discussed in Session 0. This session is, of course, where you tell your crew what game you're playing, what limits are placed on character options and available books, and make suggestions on tone, styles, etc. More on why you should have one of these intro sessions can be found in The Importance of "Session 0" in Your Tabletop Games.

Goddammit, Steve, why are you playing an awakened bear?

Beyond checking everyone's math, and making sure no one decided to play as a frost giant or a mongrelman without permission, you also need to get a sense of what it is you're working with. This is true in a story aspect, since it pays to know that the alchemist has no interest in money, but he is something of a sucker for saving defenseless innocents, but it's also true in a mechanical aspect. For example, if you are planning on ambushing your party with a band of orcs, and there's a ranger with orc as a favored enemy, then you might need to alter the fight to ensure it doesn't end in two rounds. Maybe that means adding an extra ambusher, or using a template on the leader so he can stand up to the ranger, but regardless, you need to know what characters are starring in your story.

Can you run a game just trusting your players to abide by the rules, do their math correctly, and have them reveal to you the types of characters they're playing piecemeal? You can. You can also drive a car blind-folded. Even if you think you know where you're going, and you've driven the route a thousand times before, there's a much better chance that you'll plow into a wall if you can't see where you're going.

So why run a game with a blindfold on if you don't have to? Especially since you, and your players, would likely enjoy getting to the end of the campaign a lot more than you would crashing and burning due to unexpected circumstances in the third session. Plan out the long-game, and you're a lot more likely to get where you want to be. Incorporate the PCs' stories, abilities, and achievements into the game, and your players will never want it to end.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. I don't think this is a controversial position to take, but who knows, I've been proven wrong before. As always, if you'd like to get more content like this, why not support Improved Initiative by putting a little bread in my jar? Just go to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page, and become a patron. As little as $1 a month goes a surprisingly long way. Lastly, if you haven't followed me on Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter yet, well, why not start?

You Cannot Contain Power Players (So Try Working With Them, Instead)

Every roleplaying game out there is built on a foundation of rules. The rules decide how many points you get to spend on your attributes, how likely your attacks are to hit, what special abilities (if any) your character possesses, and how they work. And if you get a table of four players together, and you present each of them with the same options, there's going to be at least one of them who finds the right combination of abilities to make a character that's really good at his or her job. They didn't break the rules, or even twist them, but their character is definitely in the heavyweight category compared to the other players when it comes to spellcasting, skullduggery, swordplay, or any other tasks that start with "S".

These are your power players.

Time to meet the monster.

I would like to give an important piece of advice to all the DMs out there who see power players coming their way, and who try to tie them down with red tape and house rulings. Take a breath, and stop. Because whatever your power player has brought to the table, taking away one toy will just mean they go back to the toy box to find something else that will let them accomplish the same goal in a different way.

If There Are Rules, There Are Building Blocks

I'll give you a perfect example of how this situation tends to go. Mind's Eye Society, a group that ran and oversees World of Darkness LARPs, saw that too many players were building the biggest possible combat pools they could, and using these combat powerhouses to essentially take out other characters in a single hit. Instead of addressing things on the small-scale, however, the organization chose to institute a blanket ruling that put a cap on the amount of damage that could be done in a single hit.

This worked about as well as you think it would.

The theory was that if you made it impossible to build one-shot wonders, then players wouldn't use violence as a means to solve every situation. That was, of course, not what happened. Instead of building bigger brutes, some players invested in characters who could soak up inhuman amounts of punishment, since there was no cap on how much health you can have. That way they could simply outlast the other characters, tanking as much hurt as they could before walking away the victor. Other players invested in recruiting small armies of NPCs, which meant that instead of having one trigger to pull, a single player could have control of a dozen, highly-trained shooters at a time.

The point is, taking away the ability to build a character that could cave in someone's ribs and rupture their heart with a single punch didn't stop people from building combat monsters. All it did was create a detour, making players use different means to achieve the same end.

And, as a DM, that's what you're going to see if you start arbitrarily telling players who did their homework that they aren't allowed to use certain abilities, or create certain combinations. Because if the player hasn't broken any rules, it can feel like you're punishing them for being able to find, and use, the most effective options available.

Make Your Power Players Work For You

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; every game needs a Session 0. If you have a power player (or two, or three) at your table, you need to sit down with them, and listen to what they're planning on doing. If you have someone who's planned a multiclass shock trooper, capable of smashing through hordes of foes, then you need to ask yourself how that's going to gel with the game you're planning on running, and where that leaves the rest of the table. Because if the group is made up of a face man and two spellcasters, then that sort of muscle might be just what they need. But if there are already two other combat specialists, and you know they won't be able to keep up with the power player's build, then you should try to fix that.

But you don't fix it by just banging a gavel and denying one of your players a perfectly legal option. Instead, talk to them, explain that you appreciate what they're trying to make, and work with them to make something that will let them have fun, but which will help keep the game going in the direction you want, while allowing everyone else to enjoy it, too.

It doesn't seem that hard, does it?

Now, there will be some players who get offended that you'd ask them to change their concept because you feel it would be disruptive. Some players may even make a stink that you want them to "play down" to the rest of the table's level. If you present your case in a reasoned, thoughtful sort of way, and that's the reaction you get, un-invite that player to your table until they learn that this game isn't just about them, but that it's a cooperative effort among everyone.

That is the sort of understanding you need to foster, if you want a power player to give you a character that will not only do the job they were built for, but help build up the rest of the table at the same time. It takes skill, time, and dedication to learn how to match the right options together in order to build a powerful PC. But being able to do that without overshadowing anyone else, that takes cooperation, care, and more than a little help from the person behind the screen.

As always, thanks for stopping in to see what I had to say for this week's Crunch topic. If you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, even if it's as little as $1 a month, click over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page. Every new patron, regardless of how much they choose to put in the tip jar, gets free books, and access to all my future giveaways! Lastly, if you haven't followed me on Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter yet, now would be a great time to start.

When Did We Stop Trusting Our Dungeon Masters?

As some of you no doubt know, I was at Capricon on Valentine's Day weekend. I've been on that convention's programming schedule for a few years now, but this was the first year I was on panels about roleplaying games. I was surprised to find them at a sci-fi convention, more surprised by how well-attended they were, and even further surprised by the attitudes of the audiences.

Specifically I noticed a trend which, now that I'm looking at it, I should have seen before. Simply put, the older the edition a gamer started with, the more likely that player is to trust the DM. The newer an edition, the less likely a gamer was to just take the DM's word for it.

You triggered the trap. No I'm not showing you the die. Take 25 damage.

The Issue of Player Trust

I'll give you an example. A little less than a year ago, I wrote a post titled Should You Use A DM Screen? There were two types of responses to that post, with almost nothing in between. The people in the first group said, "of course you should, the screen is there to help you keep the story going." The second group said, "no, any DM who tries to hide his die rolls from you isn't someone you should play with."

So much fear, over such a little thing.

This break down in trust, I think, comes from how the DM's role has altered over time. In older editions, the rules were pretty fast and loose, which meant that the DM was a much more hands-on influence in the game. As games evolved, though, they became more codified. While there are a lot of games out there which are light on the crunch, games like Pathfinder and Dungeons and Dragons chose to spell out the rules for practically everything in specific terms.

That means if a player wants to tumble past an enemy to get on his weak side, he doesn't have to ask the DM to randomly set a difficulty; it's already in the book. If a player wants to climb a wall, intimidate a foe, or craft a specific magic item, those things are all in place already. While the DM still has the power to make things harder, or to do things differently, the mechanics in the book have already been carefully balanced and tested. In many situations, it would be like building your own bike from scratch when there's a perfectly functional BMX already sitting in your garage.

Because players know so much of how the game functions (if they read the manual, at least), there's also this idea that they're on a more even footing with the DM. Sure, the DM can still choose the monsters, the weather, and the terrain, but there's a sense that the rules apply to every character on the board, and that everyone should be held to the same standard. So, when the DM rolls dice behind a screen, there's no guarantee that the DM isn't just making up numbers. When a player puts in the crunch time to build a powerful character by the rules, there's something galling about the idea that the DM can just say "no, it hits you," or, "no, you miss," regardless of your efforts as a player.

The Advantages of The Unknown

On the other hand, the DM screen is a valuable tool for creating tension, and for keeping a story going. Even something as simple as making the rogue's Perception checks behind the screen can keep the party guessing. Even if you never once fudge the dice, either for or against your party, not letting the party see the number on the die takes away their ability to extrapolate what a monster's AC really is, and it cuts off any metagaming when they roll a natural 1 on the die, and are told they don't see any traps.

I check again... for no particular reason.

The same is true of almost any situation. If you're in the middle of combat, and you roll a die behind the screen, your players are focused on how the dragon's claw slammed into the ground bare inches in front of the fighter, glancing off his shield. The implication there is that the fighter's shield bonus to his AC is all that saved him from the beast's claws. Even better, there's no 5 on the D20 for players to see and think "oh god, it nearly hit our tank on a 5... we're so screwed!"

And, while not required, there is the ability for a DM screen to change the way the story is going. If, for instance, random orc #4 rolls a natural 20 against the party wizard, then the DM can just say it was a regular hit. Or, if he's feeling generous, that it was a near hit, but the ax tore through the mage's robe, glancing off his protective barrier of magical force at the last second. That isn't an option you have available when the entire table saw you roll that natural 20, and you're at a "let the dice fall where they may," sort of table.

Can You Get Your Players To Trust You?

All too often a DM's attitude is, "it's my game, so it's my way or the highway," but if there's a trust issue between the players and the DM, that's just going to throw kerosene on the blaze. So, instead, it's important to discuss how you want to do it in your game during your Session 0.

If you're unfamiliar with this idea, Session 0 is basically where you lay out what you want to do as a DM, including the game you're playing, house rules you're putting into play, restrictions you want, and of course, how you intend to roll your dice. For more about this, in case you haven't been doing it at your table, check out The Importance of "Session 0" in Your Tabletop Games.

Some groups will simply never agree.

If you have players who want you to roll your dice out in the open, and as a DM you'd rather keep them to yourself, that's something you should talk out. Ask, for instance, why your players want that. Is it just during combat they want to see the dice? Or is it all the time? And is it just because that's the way they've always played, or because they don't trust you to give them the straight dope on what actually happened?

There's a lot of ways that conversation can go, but it's something you need to have settled before you start your campaign. Additionally, there's nothing that says you can't start one way, and then change it if the table agrees they don't like it.

And if you're the sort of DM who can't get his or her groove on with/without a screen in front of you? Well, then make sure your players know that's part of the deal when you extend the invitation. That way you know, up-front, whether it's going to become an issue.

As always, thanks for stopping in to see what I have to say. If you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page. Even a pledge of $1 a month can make a big difference. Lastly, if you want to keep up to date on my latest posts, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.

The Importance of "Session 0" in Your Tabletop Games

So, you told your group you wanted to run a new campaign. Everyone in your group agreed that a new campaign sounds like a topping idea. You agree on a time and a place for the session, and then you spend the next week fitting together a complicated political drama for your players to get embroiled in. There will be subtle maneuvering, assassination attempts, duplicity, and it will really keep them on their toes. You take a step back, and admire the thing you've created.

Then your players show up. That's when you find out your "party" consists of a chaotic evil necromancer whose motivating goal is to raise an army of the dead to raze the nation to the ground, a gunslinger whose on the trail of the barbarian chief that murdered his father, a ravenous halfling whose chief motivation is seeing how much cheese he can steal from every inn he passes using an obscure 3rd-party class you've never heard of, and a ronin samurai who thinks with his sword instead of any more viable parts of his anatomy.

Problem?

It's bad enough that no one in this group is really a hero (and at least one of them has no real interest in becoming an adventurer), but they have no connection to the plot, or to each other. Attempting to bring this hodgepodge group together is already going to be a headache and a half, but trying to get them to follow a subtle, political plot is bordering on psychological self-harm.

Fortunately, you can prevent this sort of scenario by making sure you start every campaign with Session 0.

What Is Session 0?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and Session 0 is a DM's best preventative. What you do is sit down with your group, and set all the ground rules for the upcoming campaign. If you want to use point-buy instead of rolling for stats, you bring that up in this session. If you aren't allowing 3rd-party content, this is when you tell players. If you want to make any other blanket rulings, like no evil alignments, no gunslingers, no construct crafters, or no non-core races, this is the time to do it.

Standard dice only.

Once you've laid down the basic rules, and made your pitch for your campaign, you open the table to questions, comments, and discussion. For example, your group might like the idea of doing something different than the average dungeon crawl, but they want to know what you mean when you say "political thriller". Does that mean they should all bring non-combat characters, or does it mean that you're going to be doing more of an urban game? Does it mean you'll be allowing assassins or ninjas for PCs? Does everyone in the party need to be from the same nation? Should they all have background ties to one noble family or another?

There are innumerable questions that can, and should, be asked during Session 0. Here's a list of some of the most basic things you need to cover.

- What system are we using?

- What world is this campaign set in?

- What books will and won't be allowed?

- What are the general themes and overall goal of the campaign?

- What is the method of stat generation?

- What house rules are going to be in-play?

Once you've covered all the basics, you should let players discuss character concepts, both with you and with each other. Ensuring that you're present while this process happens allows you to answer any questions your players have, and it allows you to get an idea of how the party is shaping up. You can also point out deficiencies in party strengths, and warn players that certain concepts, while valid, might not get as much time in the spotlight as they're hoping.

It's Preventative Maintenance On Your Campaign

Session 0 takes a bit of work, but the amount of trouble it will save you down the line is totally worth it. Gone will be the days of your players trying to port in stuff from older editions that have been changed, or taking unusual templates or races without checking in with you first. And, if you're lucky, the players will work together to form a party that has connections, and cohesion. Any problems that do arise can be nipped in the bud, rather than waiting until they've grown a size category or two before trying to tackle them.

Also, before you get your campaign rolling, you might want to check out 4 Common DM Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them), as well as The 5 RPG Characters We Should Stop Playing.

Hopefully you found this week's update helpful, and useful. If you'd like to help support me and my blog so I can give you more content just like this one, then why not stop by my Patreon page today? For as little as $1 a month you can make a big difference. Also, if you want to be sure you're getting all my updates, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter!